Rother: “All I’ve got to do is ask and they come. So, it’s wonderful. That’s what keep me going, working with these young people. That’s my priority.”

They painted the concession stand and bathrooms last week as part of a renovation that includes a new pitcher’s mound and batting areas. A new irrigation system has been installed and the city has updated electrical service, even moving the light switch from center field to the concession stand.

Rother said the ballfield has a storied history and can be restored to once again host area and state tournaments.

Rother: “We want to keep the American Legion baseball program alive… In the past this program has been run by the ball association and they are getting short on numbers too, so they asked, we asked for the Legion to take it back over.”

Rother, who worked as a school superintendent in Tecumseh for 17 years before taking a job in Alaska, said it is things like seeing the high school basketball team show up to paint that makes him feel at home here.

Rother: “I hate to see anybody say anything bad about teenagers. Sure, just like adults, we have a few that are not in community-minded spirit, but these kids, these young ladies out there are always willing to help.”

The city is also providing maintenance on the field and the paint used for the concession stand.